India, Canada Committed To Countering All Forms of Violence: Canada Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan

India, Canada Committed To Countering All Forms of Violence: Canada Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan

Canada’s Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan on Thursday said the governments of Canada and India are committed to countering all forms of violence. The affirmation came a few hours after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh claimed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured that his country did not support any separatist movement in India or elsewhere.
“PM Trudeau and I had a constructive conversation with the Chief Minister of Punjab and he commended us for Canada’s support for a strong and united India. We agreed that both governments are committed to countering all forms of violence,” Sajjan stated. Without naming any separatist outfit, he also said Canada will continue to stand up for human rights and peaceful freedom of expression.
In the first statement after the Trudeau-Captain meeting, the Canadian Defence Minister also spoke about the “strong contributions” made by Punjabi diaspora in Canada adding that the dialogue with the Punjab CM was important to strengthen people-to-people ties between both regions.
In the recent past, Captain Amarinder Singh alleged that Sajjan and several other Canadian parliamentarians had Khalistani leanings and were sympathising with people who wanted to disturb the peace of Punjab. Sajjan denied Singh’s allegations saying they were “offensive” and “ridiculous”. In 2017, Amarinder did not meet the Canadian Defence Minister during the latter’s visit to the state.
Sajjan also said the 1984 anti-Sikh violence should not be forgotten. “Let us not forget the loss of life that resulted from anti-Sikh violence in 1984 which was truly tragic and is an issue close to the hearts of many Sikh Canadians.” Talking about the visit to Golden Temple with Trudeau on Wednesday, Sajjan said, “As a Canadian of Sikh faith, visiting Harmandir Sahib is a time to reflect on the values of our faith-equality, justice, volunteerism. It is our duty to speak up when it comes to the vulnerable and calling for justice.”
Courtsy : indianexpress